State to cut off water flow

If drought persists, state warns it may need to stop deliveries for the first time

Hugh Beggs of Santa Rosa, Calif., searches for coins in the middle of the Russian River at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach in Healdsburg, Calif., taking advantage of the way below normal river flow. Seventeen rural communities in drought-stricken California are in danger of running out of water within four months, according to a list compiled by state officials. (AP Photo/ Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Kent Porter, Jan. 14, 2014 file photo)
The Associated Press

Hugh Beggs of Santa Rosa, Calif., searches for coins in the middle of the Russian River at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach in Healdsburg, Calif., taking advantage of the way below normal river flow. Seventeen rural communities in drought-stricken California are in danger of running out of water within four months, according to a list compiled by state officials. (AP Photo/ Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Kent Porter, Jan. 14, 2014 file photo)

In an unprecedented move, state water officials Friday announced they will be forced to turn off the tap to hundreds of farms and cities this year unless snow-packing storms arrive in the coming weeks to wash away a stubborn drought.

However, most water agencies are planning to use reserves and other sources to help keep at least minimal amounts flowing. In Southern California, available supplies are sufficient to prevent rationing for now.

The state also issued an emergency directive to slow down releases from reservoirs along its major northern rivers — a rare step that will save water for next year but also provides bare minimum protections for water quality and fish.

And the state ordered 5,800 mostly small farms to stop independently taking irrigation water from streams and rivers. Other farmers in Northern California with long-standing legal rights to water will see their allocations halved.

“Today’s action is a stark reminder that California’s drought is real,” Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement. “We’re taking every possible step to prepare the state for the continuing dry conditions we face.”

If the draconian cut stays in place it will be painful for Southern California and the San Diego region, not immediately but certainly longer term.

Yes
73% (1427)

No
27% (526)

1953 total votes.

Contrast zero to these amounts: The state sent 872,000 acre-feet — enough for 1.7 million homes for a year — to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in 2013, a dry year. Metropolitan received 1.2 million acre-feet in 2012, according to Department of Water Resources figures.

The San Diego County Water Authority is one of Metropolitan’s largest customers.

“It’s not a final allocation, and late winter storms could ultimately lead to an increase in deliveries,” said Ken Weinberg, director of water resources for the San Diego County Water Authority.

“However, this unprecedented estimate of no available water from the State Water Project is a serious indication that statewide water supply conditions are worsening, and it makes voluntary conservation measures increasingly important,” he added.

Metropolitan, which is based in Los Angeles, has about 2.4 million acre feet in a network of reservoirs and groundwater basins scattered throughout California and in Lake Mead, Nevada. Of that, 214,000 acre-feet is stashed in San Luis Reservoir and is exempt from the state’s zero percent order.

But dipping into reserves means less will be available in the future if the drought persists. That worries water managers across the region.

“It’s still bleak,” said Dennis Cushman, the county water authority’s assistant general manager.

While it is not under active consideration, Brown does have the legal authority to impose rationing statewide under a state of emergency if the drought extends for some time.

The subject was broached in March 1977 when California was in the throes of what then was considered its worst drought ever. Ironically, Brown, a Democrat, was in his first stint as governor at the time.

Then-Attorney General Evelle Younger, a Republican, issued a two-page opinion that said a drought is equal to the perils posed by fire, floods, epidemics and earthquakes.